Closing the Loop: How AI Can Help Employers Tackle Recruiter Ghosting

Even though Halloween has come and gone, a spooky problem persists in the world of Talent Acquisition: ghosting. 

While candidate ghosting has been a pervasive issue for many years now, it’s clearly no longer just a problem for employers. Recruiter ghosting is a serious frustration for candidates in today’s already challenging job market—as many a Reddit, Glassdoor, Fishbowl and LinkedIn post can attest. That should be a concern for all employers in today’s competitive marketplace where a company’s reputation is critical in the race for talent attraction, and this phenomenon may be skirting even the most robust recruitment processes to wreaking havoc. 

Fortunately, we live in the time of AI. Where human intervention and manual process is well-known to fail, AI tools can provide consistency and streamline communication, with timely updates and deliver personalized feedback to drive a positive candidate experience.

Why is Closing the Loop So Important?

Candidate experience is nothing new but continues to be an area where many employers have room for improvement, especially around candidate communication. When employers ask so much of candidates for the privilege of consideration, letting them know where they stand, what’s next and how they did in return should be fundamental.

It should be no surprise that a recent study shared by HRMagazine found nearly nine in 10 (88%) of candidates expect to hear from a potential employer within weeks of submitting an application. Despite this well understood expectation, according to Greenhouse’s 2024 Candidate Experience Report, “just under half (45%) of job candidates have been ghosted after an initial conversation with a recruiter,” with an even more dismal response rate for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. 

When candidates engaging with your company and brand are left feeling disrespected, undervalued and frustrated that can spell big trouble. In a time when candidates are no longer shy about “naming and shaming” employers online, your company's reputation can take a hit – both as a corporate brand and as a potential employer. 

Your hiring practices are more visible and matter now more than ever and are viewed as a reflection of corporate culture that candidates and customers alike are choosing to support.

How is Your Team Doing?

Before you can address any potential issues, you’ll need to understand the nature and scale of the problem as it applies to your company’s recruitment practices. You may have a best-in-class candidate communication strategy, but how do you know whether it’s breaking down in practice? 

Consider how you evaluate and monitor candidate communication and experience. Utilizing or implementing post-interview surveys with tools such as Survale can be an invaluable tool for understanding candidate sentiment, as is monitoring social media. Crunching your recruitment performance metrics can also shed some light on potential communication breakdowns. You may also consider a mystery shopper technique to gain a firsthand understanding of the candidate experience. 

Once you know what to needs to be addressed, you can create clear objectives for an AI strategy and develop targets for improvement.

How AI Can Help

AI-powered tools can revolutionize candidate communication by automating tasks, personalizing messages and providing timely feedback to close the gaps.

• Automated Communication 
  AI-powered chatbots can enhance candidate communication by providing instant responses to inquiries, answering common questions and application status updates. AI can also automate distribution of personalized email updates tailored to the specific stage of the recruitment process, ensuring candidates stay informed and engaged.
• Personalized Feedback
  AI can analyze candidate data, such as resumes, cover letters and interview performance, helping provide candidates with specific and actionable recommendations for improvement to develop skills and improve their job search, while demonstrating that the company values their time and effort.
• Efficient Tracking and Follow-up
  AI tools, when implemented alongside an ATS or candidate experience platform, can support candidate progress tracking and automate timely follow-up communications by email and/or SMS, ensuring candidates remain engaged and informed throughout the hiring process.
• Proactive Communication
  AI can also be deployed to proactively address common candidate questions and concerns through automated messages and FAQs and analyze candidate questions to identify areas of the process that are unclear or potential bottlenecks, enabling the company to mitigate these issues proactively.

By implementing AI-powered tools, recruiters can significantly improve the candidate experience and reduce the risk of ghosting – by both parties. Remember, a happy candidate is a loyal advocate.